To prepare for Dyngus Day, Eddy Dobosiewicz drives to an abandoned lot in east Buffalo, N.Y., in search of an elusive commodity: pussy willows.
Dyngus Day celebrations, to be staged Monday in Buffalo and a handful of other U.S. cities, trace their roots to ancient Polish fertility rites centered around the end of Lent and the advent of spring. As
part of the festivities, young men traditionally splash water on women they fancy. Women carry pussy willow branches to hit the men they like.
But this year, after an especially harsh winter, Dyngus Day organizers are worried that there won't be enough pussy willows to go around. The pussy willow supply is particularly worrisome for festival co-founder Mr. Dobosiewicz because the event, while not as big as some other Polish festivals around the country, has become unexpectedly popular.
"I'm shocked at how many people were concerned," Mr. Dobosiewicz says of the pussy willow shortage. He has received over 100 phone calls in the past few weeks from worried locals. "It hit a nerve. Everybody's in a panic."
Dyngus Day's origins go back hundreds of years in Poland, according to organizers of the Buffalo celebration. The event is traditionally held the day after Easter. They used pussy willows because they are usually among the first plants to bloom in spring.
In Buffalo, the Polish community started celebrating Dyngus Day in the 1960s. In 2006, shortly after Mr. Dobosiewicz took over the event, some 3,000 people participated. Then the tradition started to catch on with younger Buffalonians who were looking to reclaim some of their Polish heritage, or just looking for an excuse to shake off the winter months with vodka and pierogies.
Last year, 50,000 people participated, despite chilly temperatures, snow and a mini hailstorm. This year, Mr. Dobosiewicz estimates 100,000 people will show up in Buffalo to take part in the parade, dinners, concerts and dances. Many locals consider the event a holiday and take the day off.But Dyngus Day can't proceed without an ample supply of pussy willows, and since the long, cold winter left most Buffalo residents' yards bereft of the blooming plant, worries of a shortage grew.
To offset expected shortages, some florists shipped in pussy willows from southern states, and organizers like Mr. Dobosiewicz have been driving around Buffalo and its outskirts looking for more. Mr. Dobosiewicz also took to local media outlets to encourage residents to cut their pussy willow branches early and bring them inside, where they will be able to bloom protected from the elements.
At the Broadway Market, a 123-year-old Buffalo shopping institution, at least four vendors were selling pussy willows this weekend, including a vendor that usually specializes in horseradish.
"There aren't so many pussy willows out right now, because it's been so cold," says Sophie Baj, a volunteer with the Friends of the Broadway Market, who says the pussy willow tree in her yard is still bare. "But we have a good supply [at the market], because we get them from other vendors, from greenhouses. We're always concerned there won't be enough supply, but we should be OK."
"Everyone has a different source," says Orlando Diaz, the creative director at Bloom Floristry in Buffalo. This year, Mr. Diaz planned ahead by buying his supply of pussy willows at a flower show in Philadelphia. "Just to make sure we were covered," he says.
"We get a lot of single women calling and asking us for pussy willows," Mr. Diaz says. "We literally spend all day wrapping up pussy willows for women."
Some people in Buffalo persist in growing their own, despite the weather.
Sister Josanne Buszek, a nun at the St. Stanislaus Parish Ministry, is considered a resident expert in growing pussy willows.
"Ours are growing nicely, ours are blooming," says Sister Buszek of her parish supply, and who eschews store-bought pussy willows. "They're expensive. Ours are free. You don't have to purchase them if you plant them in the right way." She advocates early pruning and bringing some branches inside during cold spells to help them thrive.
When the parade passes by her church on Monday, she might hand some out to passersby. "We don't charge," she says.
Beyond the casual flirtations of the day, having pussy willows on hand during Dyngus Day can lead to real romance.
In this year's official guide book to the event, Mr. Dobosiewicz included a section called, "It's a Love Thing; Is That a Pussy Willow in Your Pocket?" It features stories of real-life married couples who met on Dyngus Day, with the help of the pussy willows.
Nancy McCarthy, creative director of Dyngus Day LLC, the company that organizes the Buffalo event, stresses that splashing someone with water or hitting them with a pussy willow is no longer gender specific.
"Everybody does both," she says. "There's nothing intimidating about it at all. If you thought somebody was cute you'd give them a little tap, and they'd either reciprocate or say 'Back off.' "
If there aren't enough pussy willows come Monday, attendees may have to improvise.
"If people don't have them, we'll teach them how to glue Q-tips on the end of a regular oak branch or something," Mr. Dobosiewicz says.
And what happens with all the pussy willows after the parade?
According to Ms. Baj of the Broadway Market, "Then people take the pussy willows to bars and they're left to their own devices."
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